Sister In Law
by NickyM96
Summary: Mulder plays hero to a Scully woman, but not the one you'd think.


TITLE: Sister In Law  
  
AUTHOR: Nicky  
  
RATING: G  
  
CATEGORIES: Vignette  
  
SUMMARY: Mulder plays hero to a Scully woman, but not the one you'd think.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
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Sister in Law  
  
by Nicky  
  
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With an exhausted sigh, I look out the window once more, wishing we were moving instead of still sitting on the runway. It's been a long trip, and I want nothing more than to be at home with the two people who love me most. This leg of the conference lasted much longer than I expected. We still have one more stop to make in DC, but after that we were going home. I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But now I have to deal with this delay at the airport. All because some bozo couldn't manage to make the flight on time.  
  
"You have the only empty seat," my friend Jasmine points out, shaking me from my woeful ruminations. I must look at her with a blank expression that shows just how much I don't understand where she's going with this conversation because she decides to elaborate.  
  
"That means our Late Mystery Guy will be sitting with you! If he's cute, can I please switch places with you? It'll make the trip home a lot more interesting. No offense, Carmen," she says to our other friend who's sitting with her.  
  
But Carmen and I both know not to take Jasmine too seriously. She's an invaluable member of our team, but the girl is perpetually, well to put it bluntly, in heat. Not to be mean or anything, but it would surprise me if she's ever spent a night alone, despite the fact she's never been married a day in her life. She just has this way of falling in love with every guy she meets. And she just happens to meet a lot of guys. The last one did a real number on her, though. The last thing she needs right now is another guy to mess with her mind. So Carmen and I spent most of the conference trying to deflect the many would be suitors. We were surprisingly successful. I'm not going to let one slip through the cracks now.  
  
"I don't think so, Jasmine. You had a nice, relaxing, hook up free week. I think we should keep it that way," I tell her, laughing to myself at the pout that instantly forms on her face. "That look won't work with me, Young Lady. I'm a mother. I'm immune to it."  
  
"Fine," she sulks. "Ruin my life, why don't you."  
  
"Calm down, Jasmine. He's probably some old geezer that you won't want sitting with you anyway," Carmen tries to convince her.  
  
"Or he could be the man of my dreams," Jasmine gasps, catching a glimpse of the tall and definitely not old geezer walking towards us.  
  
"Wow! It's times like this I wish I wasn't married," Carmen pants, drooling over him too. This isn't good. Carmen was my reinforcement. There's no way I'd be able to hold Jasmine off all by myself. And if there was ever a guy she shouldn't go after, this would be the guy.  
  
He makes his way down the aisle, apologizing profusely to the flight attendant scowling at him. But one well timed grin has her blushing like a school girl and practically falling over herself showing him to his seat. He seems to have that effect on women. That's probably why my husband hates him so much.  
  
"Thank you so much . . . Brenda," he pauses as he takes a peek at her name tag. "And again, I'm so sorry to keep everyone waiting."  
  
He waits until she's gone to stow his luggage and quickly takes a seat, barely giving me so much as a glance.   
  
"I'll bet that smile works on all the ladies, you sly fox," I say to him with a joking smile, watching with amusement as his head jerks up at the mention of his name.  
  
"How did you . . . oh, hey Tara!" His smile turns genuine when he recognizes me. Although, I'm not surprised at how different I look. The last time he saw me, I was nine months pregnant. Besides, he was pretty preoccupied with helping his partner bury her daughter. I can understand him not immediately remembering me. "It's been so long. How are you?"  
  
"I'm great, Fox." With the slight cringe that crosses his face, I'm reminded that he hates his first name. "Sorry, Mulder."  
  
"It's no problem." He gives me that smile again and I can honestly see why Dana would follow this man anywhere. That look is a killer. Like Carmen, I have to remind myself that I'm a married woman.  
  
"So, what are you doing in North Carolina? You and Dana on a case?"  
  
"No, Dana's back in DC. This was a personal trip. My mother is, uh . . . she's buried in North Carolina."  
  
"I'm so sorry," I gasp. I remember Dana mentioning his mother dying recently. Poor guy. Not that she was that great a mother, to hear Dana tell it. But she was the guy's mom. And he was understandably broken up by her death. Thankfully, he seems fine now. I'm sure Dana had a lot to do with that, I think to myself with a smile.  
  
"What about you?" he asks, changing the subject. "What brings you to the east coast?"  
  
"Can you believe business? I'm working now. I know it's not really the navy wife thing to do. But I was going crazy being in that house all by myself for months on end with Bill out to sea. Matthew's in the three year old program at the preschool and that I didn't want to spend another day alone. So, I got a job."  
  
"Good for you," he nods. "You look happy."  
  
"I am," I tell him. And for the first time in a long time, I realize it's true. It's not that I wasn't ecstatic being a wife to Bill Scully and the mother of his child. But I felt like that's all I was. Now that I'm working, I feel like my own woman as well.  
  
Mulder and I spend the rest of the flight talking. Mostly about Dana, of course, since she's who we have in common. And because Mulder could hardly say a word without mentioning her somehow. I swear that man is so in love with her. Mom tried to tell me, but I didn't believe her. I let Billy's hatred for the man color my own ideas about him. But I see now that he doesn't really hate Mulder. He hates the man that has stolen his baby's sister's heart. I can understand that.  
  
Anyway, the next thing I know, we're landing in DC and we all prepare to get off. Like a true gentleman, Mulder helps us all with our luggage from the overhead compartment and escorts us off the plane, making sure we make it to the rental car counter without any trouble. Looking back, it's a good thing he did or else we would have been stranded for a lot longer than I care to think of.  
  
"Cancelled," Jasmine whines as I turn to tell Mulder good bye. "How can they cancel car rental?"  
  
"What do you mean, Jasmine? Didn't you call back and confirm the reservation?" Carmen asks.  
  
"I didn't realize I was supposed to," the woman admits, biting her lip.  
  
"Jasmine!"  
  
"Calm down, ladies. Let me see what I can do," he offers, walking over to the car rental counter.  
  
He's over there for a few minutes while Carmen and I try not to make Jasmine feel any worse than she already feels. We both should have known better than to trust the woman with a task like this. My guess is that she managed to get a date with the reservation clerk, but couldn't manage to confirm our rental. That is so like Jasmine.  
  
"Hopefully, Mulder will have some luck. I'd hate to be stranded without transportation," I say.  
  
"Mulder. So that's his name. I'm shocked, Tara. For a married woman, you certainly are a master at picking up men. You definitely have great taste in flings."  
  
"It's not like that, Jasmine. Mulder is . . . "  
  
"Gorgeous? Sexy? The love of my life?"  
  
"Taken," I manage to finish, cutting her off before she got on a roll.  
  
"Well, I don't see a ring," Jasmine says, taking out a mirror to check her make up. "So if you don't go after him, I definitely will."  
  
I just roll my eyes. She'll never learn. Going after Mulder will just be a waste of her time. He may not have a ring, but he couldn't be more married to Dana Scully if the pope himself performed the ceremony. I try to explain that to Jasmine, but Mulder comes back before I get the chance.  
  
"I have good news and I have bad news," he says. "The good news is that I managed to get you a car."  
  
"Really? That's great. But what's the bad new?" I ask him, kind of afraid of what he's going to say. He's probably going to tell us the only available car is some outdated, rusty pinto type of car my high school boyfriend used to ride around in. But fortunately, I was wrong. The bad news turned out not to be so bad.  
  
"The bad news is that you can't get it until tomorrow. But to make up for the inconvenience, they're going to drop it off at your hotel in the morning."  
  
"You are a miracle worker, Fox Mulder," I say, reaching up to give him a hug.  
  
"Well, I have a soft spot in my heart for you Scully women," he blushes, trying to brush off my compliments. "Now, stay right here. I'm going to get my car from the parking garage. I'll drop you off at your hotel so you won't have to worry about taking a cab."  
  
"You don't have to," I try to protest. But he won't hear of it. He gives me a wink before breezing through the doors to go get the car.   
  
"I think I'm in love," I hear Jasmine utter. And for once, I don't dissuade her. Because for once, I know exactly how she feels. Don't get me wrong, I love my Billy with all my heart. And I know how much Mulder adores Dana. But I'm starting to feel a brotherly type of affection for him. I can see how Mom has become so smitten with him. He's a modern day hero. And I can see how Dana has fallen for him. It's hard not to with a man like that who constantly comes to your rescue.   
  
"Excuse me, ladies." We all turn around to see the clerk from the car rental counter coming towards us. "I want to once again apologize for the mix up. Your car will be to your hotel in the morning. I just need this information form filled out and signed by Agent Mulder's sister in law and you'll be all set."  
  
"What?" I asks, flustered by the obvious mistake in identity.  
  
"That's you, right?" the clerk asks. "He said the beautiful blond and pointed you out."  
  
"Then that must be me," I shrug, taking the paper from him, but still confused by the whole thing. He must be mistaken, right? Mulder didn't call me his . . .  
  
"Sister in law? So that's what you meant by him being taken," Jasmine realizes.   
  
I just smile and nod, going back to filling out the information form and taking it back to the counter. But the same question is echoing in my own mind. Why did he refer to me as his sister in law? Maybe he really does care about us 'Scully women', as he referred to us. Maybe Billy has been wrong about him this whole time. Mulder isn't some evil monster who's pulled the wool over Dana's eyes. He's a kind, generous, loving man who'd do anything for the woman he loves and the people who love her. And I'm proud to realize that now includes me.  
  
By the time I finish with the form and we find a cart for all our luggage, Mulder is back with the car. He insists on loading everything and tells us to wait in the car for him. Carmen and Jasmine climb into the back seat, but I stay out with Mulder.   
  
"Mulder. You told the guy at the counter that I was your sister in law?" I figure it's best to just come out with it. I've never been one to beat around the bush.  
  
"Yeah," he blushes. "He asked me who you were to make me care so much and the answer just kind of slipped out. I've heard Scully refer to you that way so much. I guess . . . I don't know. It just felt like the right answer."  
  
I just smile and pull him into a hug.  
  
"It was the right answer. Dana considers you her family. I guess that makes you our family, too."  
  
He returns the smile, but doesn't say anything else. So I decide to mess with him a little before getting into the car.  
  
"Besides, I have a feeling that one day very soon, you two are going to make it official. Pretty soon you'll really be able to call me your sister in law."  
  
The blush on his face deepens and I know I've struck a nerve. But I'm not sorry. If it gets him to take action let Dana know how he feels, it'll be worth it. Wait until I tell Bill!  
  
The End. 


End file.
